On Saturday, April 20, 2013, qualified Legal Permanent Residents interested in United States citizenship can get the help they need from Catholic Charities Immigration Legal Services at Pathways to Citizenship Day event. The event is free and is set from 9:00 to 4:00 at Catholic Charities, 1900 S. Acadian Thruway, Baton Rouge, LA. Like all of Catholic Charities services, the workshop is open to people of all faiths throughout the Baton Rouge metropolitan area. This annual event is encourages hard working legal residents to become U.S. citizens involved in our political process.

Experienced immigration attorneys and law school students will be on hand to review citizenship documents and assist with the application, including completing the process. At workshops throughout the day, participants can take practice for the various citizenship tests administered by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, including English proficiency, American history, and oral interviews.

Lions and Lambs: Reflections on Catholic Social Teaching

No. 1 -- Catholics and Culture

By David C. Aguillard, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge

In politics everyone wants God on their side. It’s an understandable urge as ancient as the Divine Right of Kings. In lieu of a divinity amidst our political leaders, we Catholics substitute Catholic Social Teaching. And that’s where the difficulty begins.

Just as Jesus encountered hostility when bringing His word into the cities of Israel, Catholic Social Teaching seems to be greeted likewise, even among and between Catholics. With the recent emphasis by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops asking Catholics to analyze public issues through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching, this body of Catholic thought has become a weapon of politics.

How to help Catholic Charities Respond to disaster

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge has been active daily since Isaac inundated the Capital Region Working through local parishes in the Maurepas region, shelter officials, and assisted by St. Vincent de Paul, our disaster response teams distributed relief supplies to families who, in some instances, were rescued from flood waters without a chance to even slip on a pair of shoes. We have found some families in isolated areas in need of water, medicine, clothing and food.

While people with emergencies should call 911, Catholic Charities will continue to respond to unmet needs that fall between the cracks as 1st responders act on their appropriate priorities: saving lives and protecting property.

CCDBR David Aguillard and CSO Dr. Melanie Verges honored for Creativity and Spirit

Baltimore, MD— David Aguillard, Catholic Charities of Baton Rouge(CCDBR) Executive Director, and Catholic Schools Superintendent Dr. Melanie Verges received a 2013 CRS Rice Bowl Award for their outstanding commitment to raising awareness of global hunger and educating Catholics in the United States about their brothers and sisters locally and in the developing world.

They were selected based on the creativity and enthusiasm with which they promoted the CRS-sponsored program in the Diocese of Baton Rouge. The award was presented at the annual Catholic Social Ministry Gather in Washington DC on Ash Wednesday, the beginning of CRS Rice Bowl for Lent 2013.

Isaac Strikes! How can you help?

Catholic Charities offers these tips for helping after Hurricane Isaac

Baton Rouge—Hurricane Isaac has left much of South Louisiana flooded. Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge is currently assessing the damage and forming a response plan.

The people of South Louisiana are traditionally known for being some of the most generous in the country. Since the outpouring of support for the state after Hurricane Katrina, that tradition grew even stronger.